Testing the waters for tablet PCs: new study determines tablet PC viability. (Update).In a six-month study completed earlier this spring, researchers at Bentley College Bentley College is located at 175 Forest Street in Waltham, Massachusetts, 10 miles west of Boston. Founded as a school of accounting and finance in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, Bentley moved to Waltham in 1968 and today is ranked 31 on Business Week's top 100 undergrad in Boston worked with 12 different corporate partners (including Microsoft, Acer Acer trees of the family Aceraceae. Acer rubrum ingestion of wilted or dries leaves of this tree causes acute hemolytic anemia characterized by red urine, jaundice, anemia and methemoglobinemia in horses. , Toshiba,and NEC (NEC Corporation, Tokyo, www.nec.com, www.necus.com) An electronics conglomerate known in the U.S. for its monitors. In Japan, it had the lion's share of the PC market until the late 1990s (see PC 98). NEC was founded in Tokyo in 1899 as Nippon Electric Company, Ltd. ) to determine whether tablet PCs (1) A tablet computer environment from Microsoft that is based on an enhanced version of Windows XP. Designed to function more like a portable writing tablet than previous tablet-based computers, it includes handwriting recognition as well as the ability to retain handwritten words are a viable alternative to laptops and desktops in the higher education higher education Study beyond the level of secondary education. Institutions of higher education include not only colleges and universities but also professional schools in such fields as law, theology, medicine, business, music, and art. market. The report found that not only did tablet PCs have strong market potential in higher education (with projections for four to five million units sold), there are only minor barriers to entry. Coordinating data from academic affiliates across the U.S., researchers determined that: * 38 percent of all students were likely to use tablet PCs in the classroom. * Both slates and convertibles were accepted form factors. * 54 percent were willing to pay $2,000 or more for a tablet PC * Large-scale conversion from Laptops to tablets will take place in the Fall of 2004 While the study supported the potential growth of tablet PCs on college and university campuses, it also revealed some key issues that administrators and marketers must consider when planning such a program: * Dependability is a major concern (hinge reliability and stylus stylus: see pen. (1) A pen-shaped instrument that is used to "draw" images or select from menus. Styli (the plural of stylus, pronounced "sty-lye") come with handheld devices that have touch screens, such as PDAs and video games. loss were off-cited issues). * Tablet PCs don't match student lifestyles outside of the classroom. * The stylus was preferred by older users (keyboard by younger users). * Word-of-mouth, on-campus placement programs are needed. The next phase of the study, set to commence this summer, will look at attitude and usage among current tablet PC users. For more information, contact Bentley Professor Perry Lowe at plowe@bentley.edu. |
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